I'm so glad that someone decided to start a thread about the Olympics! My sister and I are just mad about the games... we're even planning on throwing an Opening Ceremony party! I know I'm suppose to root for my country (and trust me I do) but what I love about the Olympics is that sometimes you root for certain people regardless of their nationality. I love how they bring people together. Anyways, I'm curious, what's everyones favorite sports to watch? Personally, I'm a fan of swimming, gymnastics, diving, tennis, volleyball, etc. How amazing was it four years ago watching Michael Phelps get 8 gold medals? CRAZY! It'll be interesting to see if/what he walks away with in London. And it'll be interesting to see which athletes become household names by the end of the games (it's a bit obvious by now that I'm a big fan of the Olympics, isn't it?).

__________________http://miss-rumphius.tumblr.com/ "It is ever so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable." Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

^It seems than you're a great fan of the olympics, well i think the swimming is my fave sport & also i'm enjoy all of the activies.

My fave thing of the olympics, is obviously the opening & closing ceremonies, because the yield of the city show all the best of it, like they art, manners of the country or something & also the bands & singers when perfoming.

For example on the opening ceremony, Duran Duran (my fave band), were they perfoming (with representation of England), so that i put more excited about it & i don't get it than Daniel Craig wil be Sir?... well the Craig's James Bond, i know than Bond is one of the most famous characters of the movie world, but Daniel have like 20 years of career & he became famous of James Bond, so i don't hate of Daniel, but... so are things of the organization of the games.

Duran Duran, Shakespeare, and... Sir 007? Here's a taste of how England plans to welcome the world this summer

London is gearing up for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and with fewer than three months until the opening ceremonies on July 27, organizers have started the long tease. The big opening presentation is being rehearsed in a giant, heavily guarded circus tent set up in a vacant Ford factory in east London. Ceremony artistic director Danny Boyle, of Slumdog Millionaire fame, is keeping tight-lipped about what he has planned, but as acts fall into place and organizers try to build excitement for the upcoming sporting bonanza, details are dribbling out. Here's what we know so far:

1. Britain is determined to outdo China
Beijing's impressive $100 million-plus opening ceremonies for the 2008 Olympics will be hard to top, but London is going to try. In December, Prime Minister David Cameron doubled the budget for the opening and closing ceremonies to 81 million pounds ($130 million), and new casting calls went out almost immediately. Danny Boyle's team is promising 12,000 performers, including dancers, drummers, acrobats, skateboarders, nurses, and imitators of historically important Britons. The Red Arrows, a synchronized stunt-jet team usually reserved for the royal family, will take part, as will the Queen herself.

2. The ceremony is inspired by Shakespeare
The theme of the kickoff event is "The Isles of Wonder," an homage to William Shakespeare's The Tempest, especially the line: "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not." Actor Mark Rylance will read the part of the play that contains that line, and the same quote will be displayed on a giant bell being cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, famous for forging London's Big Ben and America's iconic Liberty Bell.

3. Many of Britain's musical stars will be there
The closing ceremony, dubbed "A Symphony of British Music," is getting all the musical buzz ó and with A-list performers like the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Adele, Paul McCartney, Elton John, and the Spice Girls rumored to be on the roster, it's easy to see why. But the welcoming ceremony has its own star power, with bands representing each region of the United Kingdom confirmed to perform opening night: '80s heartthrobs Duran Duran for England, Stereophonics for Wales, Paolo Nutini for Scotland, and Snow Patrol standing for Northern Ireland.

4. Count James Bond in, too
In what's being described as a "huge coup," 007 actor Daniel Craig and Boyle's team were given unprecedented access to Buckingham Palace to film a short James Bond movie for the opening ceremony, The Arrival. In the mini-film, Bond is reportedly called to the palace, where the Queen gives him his mission: Opening the Olympics. Craig, in character as 007, will then parachute into the Olympic stadium, according to Britain's The Sun. The London Evening Standard has another rumored scoop: The Queen will knight Bond in the movie.

5. Not every invitee said yes
At least one iconic British artist has turned down an invitation to play during the games: Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten. Other invitees didn't have a chance to decline. Organizers mistakenly asked all members of The Who to perform, even original drummer Keith Moon, who famously died 34 years ago. Who manager Bill Curbishley handled the request: "I emailed back saying Keith now resides in Golders Green crematorium, having lived up to The Who's anthemic line 'I hope I die before I get old.' ... If they have a round table, some glasses and candles, we might contact him."

The rumors are true: a host of British supermodels ó including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell ó will take to the runway during the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.

Moss and Campbell will be joined by Georgia May Jagger, Stella Tennant, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Lily Cole during their turn on the specially designed catwalk. Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton will dress the models, and the presentation will reportedly be set to David Bowie's songs "Fashion" and "Rebel Rebel."

The catwalk presentation will be part of a multimillion-dollar closing games extravaganza, which will be titled "A Symphony of British Music" and will feature musical performances by Queen, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Adele, The Pet Shop Boys, and One Direction, among others. A troupe of 300 dancers will move through choreography inspired by London at rush hour, and Russell Brand will perform a comedic version of the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" and The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus." Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John are also on the performance schedule. All of the performers are being paid a fee of £1 ó about $1.55 at the current exchange rate.

The show's organizers stress that the set list is subject to change and are reticent about revealing further details. "We won't comment," a spokesman said. "We want the lineup to be a surprise."

When London hands the Olympic flag off to Rio de Janiero ó which will host the games in 2016 ó news reports say Alessandra Ambrosio will be on hand to help with the festivities.

The Victoria's Secret Angel is expected to participate in the flag handover, a portion of the closing ceremony that has been touted as the "most visible celebrations of Brazilian culture in London's history." Ambrosio's precise role in the event has not been specified, but her modeling agency, Models 1, has confirmed that she will travel to London as a representative of the 2016 games.

Plans for a host of British supermodels to participate in the closing ceremony were revealed earlier this week. Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Stella Tennant, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Georgia May Jagger, and Lily Cole will reportedly put on a fashion show displaying clothing from Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen during the extravaganza. The rest of the ceremony will celebrate British music and will feature performances from Queen, One Direction, Annie Lennox, and Adele, among others.

I'm getting very excited for the Olympics, I expect that this years games will have lot's of great moments. My sister, best friend and I watched the US men's diving trials earlier today to psych ourselves up for it (though to be completely honest... we were also admiring those gorgeous bodies). And I agree ChristyLeReveur, I wonder who will take home the most medals. I'm sure that both nations are going to try and bring their A-game. Though, honestly I don't think having the most amount of medals is as important as the athletes feeling that they did well (win or loose) and that they feel really represented their nation. And that the athletes get the sense that their nation is proud of them. To me these are the things which matters the most. But it'll be interesting to see what actually happens over the next few weeks.

__________________http://miss-rumphius.tumblr.com/ "It is ever so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable." Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery